PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
Mr John Major agreed to meet Un- ionist politicians in an attempt to save talks on the future of Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister also agreed to meet the British Medical Association to discuss pre- sent changes in the NHS, and promised that a 'citizen's charter' would be produced to revolutionise the accountability of pub- lic services to their customers. The Gov- ernor of the Bank of England discouraged the Chancellor from cutting interest rates to stimulate economic growth. Danny Morrison, the former publicity director for Sinn Fein, was jailed for eight years in Belfast for helping in the false imprison- ment of a police informer. The Ministry of Defence announced that three RAF Tor- nado strike squadrons are to be disbanded. A coroner called for changes at Brixton prison after presiding over the inquest into the suicide of Lee Smith, the 18th prisoner to kill himself there in two years. Yvonne Sleightholme, who murdered her former fiancé's new wife, was sentenced to life imprisonment. The High Court ruled that a, 12-year-old could have an abortion against her mother's wishes. Sir Bernard Ingham apologised for criticisms of John Biffen and Francis Pym during his period as Chief Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher. Oxfam was formally
censured by the Charity Commission for political campaigning. Victim Support re- ported that most racial abuse is not re- ported because victims lack confidence in the police and in their council, and because of fear of reprisal. Lambeth Council's controlling Labour group agreed to elect a new leadership after pressure from their party's national executive. The Spitalfields fruit and vegetable market closed after 300 years of trading. Mrs Edwina Currie was awarded £5,000 damages, with estimated costs at £20,000, against the Observer for an article in which she was compared to a film character who would kill to save her political career.
SIX Gulf states including Saudi Arabia agreed to join direct negotiations with Israel if a Middle East peace conference was arranged. Tornados and storms con- tinued to strike at starving Bangladeshis, hampering relief efforts. Royal Marine commandos exchanged shots with Iraqi soldiers in northern Iraq, the first hostili- ties in the allied effort to create safe havens for Kurds. China and the Soviet Union signed a statement saying that they do not pose military threats to one another. According to well-informed sources, the president of Germany's Bundesbank, Herr Karl Otto Pohl, is planning to resign. The Kremlin's defence chief protested at the weakening of the Soviet Union's military power and warned against disarmament. President Bush announced a ban on the United States' use of chemical weapons, even in retaliation. He welcomed the Queen to the United States as freedom's friend. Yugoslav leaders gave the army special powers to stop violence in Croatia. Winnie Mandela, wife of Nelson Mandela, deputy leader of the ANC, was found guilty of kidnapping and of being an accessory to assault and sentenced to six years' imprisonment. Zulus attacked a camp in a Johannesburg township, murder- ing 27 people. Two Afrikaners were wounded by police gunfire, leading to fears of white violence. Alexandre Krapiva, a senior Soviet agent, defected to the West after years of working as a double agent. Asians expelled from Uganda nearly 20 years ago were invited to 'return home'. King Michael of Rumania broadcast a message to the nation for the first time in 44 years, and thousands of Rumanians demonstrated for his return. UN popula- tion experts predicted the world's popula- tion may double within 60 years. The caribou was re-introduced in to the Amer- ican Midwest after 65 years. SB
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